Treasury minister says he would welcome Tulip Siddiq’s return
The chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, has said he would be “very happy” if Tulip Siddiq returned as a minister, despite criticisms of her by the government’s adviser on ministerial standards over her family ties to the ousted regime in Bangladesh.On Tuesday, Siddiq resigned as minister for the City and anti-corruption after accepting that allegations of corruption linked to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh, had become a distraction.An investigation by the standards adviser, Laurie Magnus, found Siddiq had not breached the ministerial code in her use of properties given to her and family by allies of Hasina’s regime.He did say, however, that Siddiq should have been more alert to the potential reputational risks arising from her family’s close ties with Bangladesh after finding incomplete records on her UK properties.Siddiq resigned after Magnus suggested the prime minister would want to consider her responsibilities.
Keir Starmer accepted her resignation, but in a letter to her he said the “door remains open for you going forward”,Speaking to Sky News, Jones said Siddiq’s future was a matter for the prime minister, but added: “Tulip did a great job as City minister,She hasn’t broken any rules,The prime minister was clear in his letter to Tulip that he would like to see a circumstance in which she can come back into government in the future,“The prime minister appoints and sacks ministers.
I’d be very happy to work with Tulip in the future if that opportunity came up.But she stood down, and that was her decision.”He said: “[Magnus] was very clear in his letter that she had not breached the ministerial code.There was no improper behaviour on Tulip Siddiq’s part, part but because of what’s been happening to her extended family in Bangladesh, as he recognised and as Tulip recognised, that has become a distraction for the government, and that’s why she stood down.”Siddiq said she “totally refutes” allegations of corruption linked to her aunt’s regime.
After news of her resignation, Muhammad Yunus, who is leading Bangladesh’s interim government, reiterated his determination to investigate properties and other assets tied to stolen Bangladeshi funds,Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionA statement issued by his office said: “We remain committed to accountability and justice and will be working with partners around the world to return the stolen funds to the people of Bangladesh,“We hope and expect all friendly governments, including the UK, to stand with the people of Bangladesh in seeking justice for these crimes,Corruption hurts everyone other than those who perpetrate it – and some of their favoured relatives and cronies“The theft of billions of dollars in public funds has left Bangladesh with a significant financial deficit,The funds stolen from Bangladesh belong to its people.
We will continue to work with our international partners to ensure that justice is done,”
Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra/Dudamel review – epic Mahler is exhilarating but overwhelming
Say what you will about El Sistema (and controversies continue over the political status and inner workings of the 50-year-old youth music programme), but one thing remains unequivocal: the ferocious energy of its flagship Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. For the first of two performances at Barbican as part of an anniversary European tour with its music director Gustavo Dudamel, the stage was as packed as the auditorium. Mahler’s Symphony No 3 is his longest work, scored for a massive orchestra and its musical ambitions sprawl weightily.In the orchestra’s hands, the score quivered and growled from the get-go. The string sound was almost airless in its density
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Tony Slattery obituary
Tony Slattery, who has died of a heart attack aged 65, showed his great talent for improvisational comedy on the Channel 4 show Whose Line Is It Anyway? He often appeared as one of the four performers creating characters, scenes and songs based on suggestions by its host, Clive Anderson, or the studio audience.“Whose Line is just four people and a couple of stools,” Slattery enthused. “It’s just a brilliantly simple idea. The audience love to see you thinking on your feet.”Those audiences warmed to Slattery’s outrageous patter
Stephen Colbert on Trump’s legal immunity: ‘A president should be bound by the same laws as everyone else’
Late-show hosts talk Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration and the latest developments with the Los Angeles wildfires.On Tuesday evening, Stephen Colbert celebrated the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “Boom! When people find out what Trump did, his chances of being re-elected two months ago are going to be pretty slim,” The Late Show host quipped.According to Smith’s report, the justice department would have ample evidence to convict Trump, had he not won the election last November. “All true, and you can see it in the new Marvel series What If
Chimney sweep whose death changed child labour laws honoured with blue plaque
An 11-year-old chimney sweep whose death after getting stuck in a flue led to a change in Victorian child labour laws is to become the youngest British person to be honoured with an official blue plaque.George Brewster, a “climbing boy”, died in 1875 after getting jammed while cleaning the inside of a chimney at the County Pauper Lunatic Asylum in Fulbourn near Cambridge.According to a contemporary report in the Cambridge Independent News, George was told by the master sweeper, William Wyer, to remove his clothes and enter a flue measuring 12in by 7.5in. Fifteen minutes after beginning work, George became stuck
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